Page 6 of Quinton's Quest

“Some do. This is your office.” He gestured to the door with my name on it.

I took a moment to reorient myself. I’d dropped my messenger bag off earlier, but had been so many places since then that I wasn’t quite certain which way I’d come.

“Why don’t you come to the cafeteria with me? I can show you what’s edible and what to avoid.”

“Oh, sure.” The invitation appeared perfunctory, but I’d take whatever I could get. “I just need to check my phone.” Belatedly, the words struck me.Shit.

“I’d check mine, but I’m on duty. Wouldn’t want the doctor thinking I was ignoring the patient call buttons so I could update my social media.”

He met my gaze with an intensity that robbed me of breath. Those dark-brown eyes were pools of fathomless liquid. I could get lost in them forever.

They reminded me of my ex-husband’s. Only Gideon’s were light-brown. Just as intense, though.

Thinking about Gideon won’t lead you anywhere good.

Except he was watching our children, and I was grateful for that.

I snagged my phone from my back pocket.

No texts.

That was a good thing. That meant Gideon wasn’t having any troubles.

With Melodie at school and Trevor at home with Gideon and Lucky the dog, all was likely well. In fact, my kids were in better hands than they’d been with the nanny when we all lived back in Surrey. The young woman had appeared competent and compassionate—but I doubt she would’ve laid her life on the line for my children.

Gideon would. Of that, I had no doubt.

“I’m ready.” I re-pocketed my phone.

Quinton arched an eyebrow. “No flurry of messages to send? No stash of secret lovers?”

I stared. “What are you talking about? I’m not going to, uh, spend time with someone if I have other, uh, someones elsewhere. What kind of man do you think I am?”

“Someone who’s not very honest.”

My eyebrows shot up. “Says the man who said nothing about himself.”

He pursed his lips. “I forgot I brought my lunch. I’ll meet you back here in half an hour, and I’ll take you through—”

“I’m quite certain I can figure it out for myself. I think I’m scheduled to meet with someone from IT this afternoon.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

We glared.

Finally, I broke. “Whoever you think I am, Quinton, I’m not that man. I’m actually a good person.”And doesn’t this make me sound all pathetic and weak? Begging for scraps…

“You were the one who made the derisive comment about nurses. You’ll notice I didn’t say anything about surgeons.” Aflash of something in his eyes had me suspecting he might’ve in the past.

Actually, he’d called usarrogant.If he didn’t remember, however, I was not going to bring that up myself.Let it go. Life’s too short.“Thank you for your assistance. I get the feeling you get around quite a bit, so I’m certain I’ll be seeing—”

He’d already pivoted and was stalking away.

…get the feeling you get around…

Oh yeah, that couldn’t in any way be misinterpreted. I’d meant he tended to rotate through departments—which was rarer these days. Many nurses picked a specialty and stuck to it.